We Shall Keep the Faith
Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.
We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.
And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.
by Moina Michael
Tonight we remember Pfc. Michael R. Jarrett
From the Department of Defense:
Pfc. Michael R. Jarrett, 20, of North Platte, Neb., died Jan. 6 in Balad, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, Illesheim, Germany.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
From Omaha.com:
Jarrett lived in North Platte for less than two years, friends and family said, but his time there was pivotal in getting him interested in a military career.
He arrived in Nebraska on something of a whim, when friend Andy Clark announced that he was moving to North Platte to care for a sick uncle. Jarrett decided to tag along after he graduated from high school in Ramona, Calif., in June 2007.
...
During his time in North Platte, Jarrett thought more and more about a military career, friends said. He liked the Army recruiter who befriended him. He liked the idea of making more than minimum wage, said North Platte friend Nathan Vogt, a veteran who often talked with Jarrett about the wages and lifestyle of the military.
Jarrett joined the Army in August 2008 and soon found himself in Germany, repairing helicopters.
"He loved working on those Apaches," said Clark. "The military really seemed like it was helping him straighten up, you know. It seemed like it helped him focus."
From The Journal Star:
Jarrett was assigned to the U.S. Army's 2nd Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, which is based in Illesheim, Germany. He repaired helicopters.
The 20-year-old joined the Army in August 2008.
He received several posthumous awards, including the Army Commendation medal and Good Conduct medal.
He also earned several medals for his tour in Iraq, as well as an Army Service Ribbon and the Basic Aviation Badge.
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(big thanks to timroff for the beautiful logo)
About "I Got the News Today" (IGTNT)
I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remind.; its title is a reminder that almost every day a military family gets the terrible news about a loved one. Diaries about the fallen usually appear two days after their names are officially released, which allows time for the IGTNT team to find and tell their stories.
Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by monkeybiz, noweasels, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, Spam Nunn, JeNoCo, Janos Nation, True Blue Majority, Proud Mom and Grandma, Sandy on Signal, and me, a girl in MI. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but, we believe, an important service to those Americans who have died, and to our community’s respect for and remembrance of them.
If you are interested in volunteering for the series please contact me, a girl in MI, at a_girl_in_mi_101 AT yahoo DOT com
Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service members chronicled here. We treat these diaries as a place to remember and reflect. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.